Co-Located AFM-Raman

Co-located AFM and Raman microscopy data can provide highly complementary information on many materials and polymer samples. AFM excels in highest spatial resolution quantitative nanomechanical and –electrical information; on heterogeneous fragile or soft matter samples this is particularly the case with PeakForce QNM, PeakForce TUNA, and PeakForce KPFM. Raman spectroscopy provides label free chemical and crystallographic information and mapping with diffraction limited spatial resolution. Correlation of the two techniques connects chemistry with function, showing e.g. which component is more conductive in a device, or has higher stiffness in a structural material.

Nano-Chemical Mapping

Correlated AFM and Raman maps not only provide complementary information as outlined in the section on ‘Co-located AFM-Raman’. In many heterogeneous polymer samples, the correlation of the two types of data is very high, as the chemistry may govern the property, suggesting that once the Raman map has identified the chemistries of observed microphases, the AFM property map can be used as a higher resolution chemistry map, particularly when using PeakForce QNM, which enables highest spatial resolution, unambiguous, quantitative, and highly reproducible property maps. In this case, the combination of Raman spectroscopy with AFM may effectively yield chemistry maps with nanometer spatial resolution.

Material and Polymer Science

Bruker AFMs are widely used in the fields of material and polymer science. As a technique, AFM is uniquely well suited for investigating the nanoscale properties of nanocomposite materials. Bruker’s exclusive PeakForce QNM mode enables fast, high-resolution mapping of nanomechanical properties including modulus over a wide range (kPa to GPa). Most Bruker AFMs are also available with high temperature heating and cooling options, which are used, for example, to investigate polymer phase transitions. A full range of other techniques including thermal analysis, electrical property mapping (current and capacitance), and nanoindentation are also available.